2026-10-13T19:41:24Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/34001664 2026-09-26T01:32:03Z category_24214 item_type_3 month_year_09_2026

Mental health Literacy Data Md Rizwanul Karim (13154484) Behavioural ecology Mental health literacy; Attendants; Outpatients; Bangladesh; Cross-sectional studies; Socioeconomic factors; Health knowledge, attitudes, practice <a href="" target="_blank">Executive Summary</a><p dir="ltr"><b>Background.</b> Limited mental health literacy (MHL) contributes to stigma, delayed help-seeking, and the treatment gap in mental health care. Evidence from Bangladesh has largely measured stigma and family support among attendants of patients rather than MHL itself.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Objectives.</b> To assess the level, domain profile, and sociodemographic, behavioral, and lifestyle correlates of MHL among attendants of patients attending the outpatient department (OPD) of a tertiary care hospital in Bangladesh.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Methods.</b> This single-center, descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted at Sirajganj Medical College Hospital from 16 May to 15 October 2026. Adult attendants (≥18 years) were selected by systematic random sampling and interviewed face to face in Bangla using a semi-structured questionnaire that included the 16-item Mental Health Literacy Questionnaire–Short Version for Adults (MHLq-SVa; total score range 16–80). Analyses comprised descriptive statistics, Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis tests, and a multivariable Gamma generalized linear model with a log link.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Key findings.</b> Among 650 attendants (51.4% female; 79.2% rural), the mean total MHL score was 65.29 (<i>SD</i> = 6.70; observed range 43–80). Help-Seeking (86.5% of the maximum) and Self-Help (85.2%) scored highest and Knowledge (77.6%) lowest. In unadjusted analyses, scores did not differ by sex but were higher among unmarried participants, participants with higher educational attainment, and government employees, and lower among tobacco users and participants with another addiction. In the adjusted model, higher educational attainment (graduate vs. up to primary: adjusted mean ratio [AMR] = 1.06, 95% CI [1.03, 1.09]), government employment (vs. unemployment: AMR = 1.15, 95% CI [1.08, 1.23]), and vegetable consumption in two meals per day (vs. none: AMR = 1.04, 95% CI [1.01, 1.08]) were associated with higher MHL scores, whereas another addiction was associated with lower scores (AMR = 0.96, 95% CI [0.93, 1.00]). Sex, marital status, religion, residence, family history, tobacco use, physical activity, sleep, fruit intake, age, and expenditure were not significantly associated after adjustment.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Conclusions.</b> Attendants reported moderate-to-good MHL. Educational attainment and occupation were the most consistent correlates, and participants with less formal education or who were unemployed may warrant priority in health education. The dietary finding is exploratory. Because the design was cross-sectional and several subgroups were small, associations should not be interpreted as causal and require replication.</p> 2026-09-26T01:32:03Z Dataset Dataset 10.6084/m9.figshare.34001664.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Mental_health_Literacy_Data/34001664 CC BY 4.0